Floor construction.



J. KAHN.

FLOOR ooNsTRUoTIoN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1912.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

.imams kann, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FLOQB CONSTRUCTION.

Speeioatton of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23,1913.

Application filed November 18, 1912. Serial No. 731,926.

To all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JULIUs KAHN, a citize'n o'f the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floor Construction, of which the following is a specificatio, reference being had -therein to the accompanying drawings.

The method commonly employed in constructing concrete floors necessitates the erection of costly forms for molding the joists and for sustaining the structure until the cement is set, and care mustbe exercised in building such supports to see that they are of sufficient strength to support the load and to insure their not too early removal.

The object of this invention is to provide a suitable form which is adapted to become a permanent part of the structure and has sufficient strength to support the load at all times, and further, to provide such a form with certain new and useful features in its construction and in the arrangement of its parts, all as hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims, ref'- erence being had to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a section of floor embodying the invention; and Fig. 2 a transverse section through the same.

It is proposed to use sheet metal forms for the double purpose of providing a mold for the floor joists and to support the joists and floor slabs while they are in an unseasoned state, doing away largely or entirely with the forms commonly used for such purposes, the sheet metal members being so designed as to be of sufficient strength to sustain, without other support the wet concrete. These sheet metal forms are further designed and arranged to become a permanent part of the construction so that no matter how poor the concrete may be which is placed thereon, said forms will at all times be sufficiently strong to carry the dead weight of the construction eliminating all danger on account of the too early removal of forms, unseasoned, frozen or bad concrete.

In the construction shown the sheet metal form for each beam or joist of the floor structure, comprises two members 10 each formed of a strip of sheet metal bent into Z-shape in cross section and so positioned in relation 'to each other that their flat middle portions will be inclined toward each other edge, having a laterally extending at their lower ends and will form the taperlng sides of the joist or beam. Each member 10 is turned laterally alon its upper edge to form a flange l1 and 51e extreme edge of the metal is bent downward along the edge of this shelf or flange 11 to form a strengthening or stifl'ening rib 12. Each member is similarly formed along its lower flange 13 with the metal bent upward along the edge of the flange to form a stiflening rib 14. In positioning the members 10 they are placed with their ribs 14 in contact with each other and are supported at their ends in any suitable permanent manner upon I beams 0r other transverse members, not shown.

To reinforce each joist 15, a reinforcing bar 16 of any suitable form and construction is supported in a suitable manner between the members 10 when said members are placed in position. The slabs or thin portions 17 of the floor which entend between the joists 15 are formed upon suitable plates or strips of thin sheet metal 18 supported along their side edges upon the flanges l1 of the members 10. Each plate 18 is pref erably formed with downwardly turned edges 19 to hook over the upper edges of the members l() and, if' found desirable, these plates may be formed with stiffening ribs or corrugations 20 extending transversely of the plates between the flanges on the members 10. The slabs and their supporting plates are firmly united by the concrete wlhich flows into the open upper side of the r1 s.

The bottom flange 13 of each joist member 10 is preferably formed with integral fingers 21 formed by striking up and severing portions of the metal and bending these portions downward to form hooks for securing sheets 22 of reticulated metal to the lower edges of the joists, said sheets forming metal lath for holding the plaster ceiling to the lower side of the floor structure.

The members 10 which serve as molds for forming the j oists are preferably made from sheet metal of a gage to `give sufficient strength and rigidity to obviate the necessity for building a supporting structure for the floor, and these plates or members l0 may be ribbed or corrugated as shown in Fig. 1 if it is found desirable to do so. The plates or strips 18 are preferably formed from sheet metal of a lighter gage as they support only the weight of the thin slab.

4form are interlocke In this construction the' sheet metal form or mold becom's an integral part of the floor structure and as the members 10 are of suflicient strength to support the entire weight of the floor, a structure is secured which will not give way should the cement fail to properly set or the concrete be of poor quality. The arts of the sheet metal and are firmly united to the concrete when the 'structure is completed by the ribs which extend into the concrete and by the flowing of the concrete into the corrugations of the several parts.

Obviously changes may bel made in the form or arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit 'f my invention and I do not limit myself to the particular construction shown.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is Y In a oor structure, the combination of sheet metal members arranged in pairs, sides adapted to carry the load of the structure and forming the side walls of a mold for floor joists, flan es on the lower edges of said members ot each pair extending laterally therefrom toward each otherto space said members apart and form a bottom for said mold, ianges on the upper edges of said members of each pair extending laterall therefrom in o posite directions and each flange formed with a downturned edge, sheet metal strips having plain edge portions to engage and rest upon the said upper flanges of and extend between the pairs of members to form the lower side of a floor, a plastic material within the space between the members of each pair and upon said strips to form, together with said members-and strips, a floor with a series of parallel spaced joists,

said strips being formed with openrtransf verse ribs to strengthen the same andreceive lthe materlal, and reinforcing members embedded in. said material between the memp bers of each pair forming the joists.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JULIUS KAHN.'

Witnesses:

MEME SMITH., LEWIS E. FnANDERs. 

